HERE IT IS, THE EVENING OF THE LAST DAY IN MAY. THESE LATE SPRING DAYS SEEM TO SLIP BY LIKE PERFECT PEARLS SLIDING OFF A BROKEN STRING. AND NO ONE CAN TIE A KNOT IN THAT STRING. TREES, FULLY DRESSED FOR SUMMER, TWIST AND TURN IN THE WIND, EACH LEAF CATCHING ITS SHARE OF DAZZLING … Read more
The pressure of COVID 19 has driven me to the paint store. Those over-the-top sky blue walls in the small bedroom are crying out for a change, after all these years. I should know better. I hate to paint; I am the world’s messiest painter, and I know this about myself. Still, those walls shout … Read more
Emerging spotted and spent from yet another Paintbrush War, I contemplate the horror of this household task. Some of my friends take it in stride, and seem to effortlessly produce stunning results. But I am still dealing with a high learning curve. So fresh from my latest fiasco, I lay down these simple ground rules … Read more
Let’s consider the common, ordinary egg. Shame on us for taking it for granted. Its modest appearance and easy availability belie its riches. Unfairly demonized in years past, the victim of bad press, its sullied reputation has finally been redeemed by the experts. The egg is no longer anathema.Many now consider eggs to be a … Read more
As a child of the mid 20th. Century, I am quite possibly spoiled beyond redemption. When I consider the trajectory of my life, I realize that I have never once gone to bed hungry. I have never suffered unrelenting pain. I have never slept in the street or feared for my life. Well…there was that … Read more
Language barriers can be challenging! These signs and notices written in English were discovered around the world.Car rental brochure in Tokyo: When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor.Acapulco hotel: The manager has personally passed all … Read more
THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT BACON. THE VERY WORD BRINGS ON A WAVE OF NOSTALGIA FOR PAST BREAKFAST GATHERINGS AROUND THE KITCHEN TABLE, THAT MAPLEY AROMA WAFTING THROUGH THE MORNING SUNLIGHT. AND YET, THE GUILT. IT’S FAT. I SHOULD AVOID IT, OR AT LEAST NOT CHOMP DOWN A PLATEFUL AT ONE SITTING.SO LET’S TAKE A CLOSER … Read more
We have survived what in my opinion is the marathon month of the year. Yes, when I look out the window at 5 PM on a clear day, daylight still lingers. And we are already three days into February, with only 25 days to go until we flip the calendar to March and can at … Read more
Cell phones have opened a bucket of worms. They vanish. They get dunked into hot steaming cups of coffee in beverage holders in darkened trucks. They slip out of side pockets into toilets. They get left over the weekend in refrigerated lunch boxes at work. My stories are endless, and they are true. I’d love … Read more
Here we are, a good five months into the virus. And summer is winding down – earlier twilights, cooler nights, trees catching fire as their leaves succumb to the season. I was beginning to feel that summer might never end. So many options are frozen somewhere in the past. Maybe fall had been misplaced this … Read more